Adjustable guide for flame hardening torches



My 23s E945, F. W. RIEDEL ADJUSTABLE GUIDES FOR FLAME HARDENING TORCHES Filed Feb. 8, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Q Nm ww my ML, W wf .5 w Q@ W K MW fr m P rf @My S; m4.

F. W. RHEDEL l ADJUSTABLE GUIDES FOR FLAME HARDENING TORCHES Y Filed Feb. 8, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 wwwmmm Nw NN JN VEN TOR.'

y @uw KN uw .Emily 23, i946. F. w. RIEDEL 2,404,655

ADJUSTABLE GUIDES FOR FLAME HARDENING TORCHES Filed Feb'. 8, 1945 s sheets-sheet s ,/l mf @if w @WM Patented July 23, 1946 ADJUSTABLE GUIDE FOR FLAME HARDEN- ING TORGHES.

Frederick WfRiedel, Belle Vernon, Pa.

Application February 8, 1945, SerialNo. 576,803

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to improved. features: of: construction. and arrangement: of guiding; means for a flame hardening torch such as used to harden, temper, or otherwise heat treat a metal workpiece. Such, flame hardening torches are broadly old, and the herein claimed improvement is directed chiefly to a novel torch guide inclined to the longitudinal axisv of the work, means fory urging a follower member secured to the torch'into engagement with the guide, supporting; means forl adjustably varying the elevationA of the: guide, and means for adjusting the angularity of the guide with relation. to said supporting means.

`While not. limited, thereto, the embodiment of` theY invention illustrated is peculiarly well suited for guiding a pair of oppositely disposed flame hardeningtorches along converging straight lines paralleling the opposite faces of each longitudinally taperedA tooth of a. bevel gear which is so mounted in` a normally fixed chuck that each tooth can be successively brought to position to be acted upon by the` torches.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference should. be made to the accompanying drawings, the following detailed disclosure, and. the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1` is a plan View illustrating an em.- bodiment of the invention as combined with a. pair of flame hardening torches and the meansV for supporting them with provision for movement both longitudinally and transversely of the workV to be 'ame hardened.

FigureZ is: an enlarged rplan view of the torch 1':

guides' and their supporting means'.

Figure 3 is a. side elevation of the apparatus.

omitting the torches and their supporting carriage.

Figure 4 is an end elevation of Figure' 3 as viewed from the left.`

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional elevation taken. on line V-V of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary detail section on line VI-VI of Figure 3.

Figure 'Z is a skeleton view in side elevation, illustrating the invention as applied to the flame hardening of a tapered workpiece such as a bevel gear.

Referring to the embodiment of the invention fa illustrated, reference numeral llly represents a movable carriage supporting a pair of. duplicate oppositely disposed flame hardening torches indicated generally at l2, each of which includes a flame directing nozzle I4. Each flame hardl eningl torch is so supported by the carriageV I0 that it can be moved. relatively to its mate.. and each can be individually raised and lowered byn a suitable adjusting screw carrying a handvwheel l5 which operates a vertically movableltorchsupporting slide I6 mounted in. guides I1 mounted on the carriage. f l

The carriage l0 is adapted to` be moved man.- ually in a horizontal plane along guides` I. l toward. and from the workpiece W, and the torches I2 are mounted on the carriagey in suchv manner as to be movable opposite directions transversely of the longitudinalV movement of. the carriage. As illustrated by Way of example in the drawings, the blow-pipes i3, forming part of the torches, are secured to the slides i6, and these pipes are suiciently flexible tov permit the nozzles I4 to move transversely of the line'rof travelof` the carriage'.` Such transverse movement of the torch nozzles is effected by a relatively'stiff steel spring loop I9 engaging the blow-pipes |-3-|3, as. shown in Figure 6. l

As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the work", to be flamehardened is a bevel gear- W, having a plurality of teeth indicated at t. The opposite walls t" of each tooth taper from the butt endof the gear toward the front end` thereof. The present invention makes available precision means for accurately guiding the nozzles I4 of the torches l2 in paths parallel to the converging faces at of each tooth. and in proper spaced relation thereto. Each torch includes` a water pipe |18 to convey a coolant which is adapted tol be discharged at a point to the rear of that where the flame emerges from the nozzle, so` as to quench the work immediately after subjecting it to the flame hardening action. Such` simultaneous llame hardening and quenching means are. old inthe art1 and are not claimed herein apart` from thev combination as shown and described.

Secured to the blow-pipe I3 of each torch is a follower 20 adjustably Ipositioned by means of clamp bolt 22. Theinner end` of each follower 20 is' provided with a half-round notch 24 for engagement withl a cylindrical guide rod 218. The guide rods 26, as best shown in Figure 2, are in converging relation so that they substantially parallel the converging faces t, t of the gearl teeth to be heat treated. The angular position of each. guide rod 26 may be varied to suit the taper of different gear teeth. To this end I` rigidly secure fittings 2li` and 3Q adjacent the extremities of the guide rodsv 26, thesel ttingsl being provided with threaded openings to re- 3 ceive bolts 32 and 34 which pass through slotsV or otherwise secured to the bracket. The bracket 50 includes a vertically disposed hub 52 which is split at 54 and provided with a clamp bolt 56 for l 4 The invention overcomes the problem by the provision of unique mounting means for the converging guides 26-26. These guides are adapted by means described in detail to beset easily and quickly in such converging relation that the included angle between them is substantially the same as the taper of each tooth of the bevel gear at the pitch line thereof. Thus when changing the size of the workpiece or when changing the set-up to suit different gears, it is merely necessary to properly vary the included angle between the guides 26--26. Because the depth of teeth adjustably securing the bracket at any desired elevation along the length of a standard 58 which is welded or otherwise secured at its lower end toa horizontally movable slide 60 positioned in a guide groove 62 of a base member 64 which is I Y secured by suitable fastening devices 66 to any .fixed structure such as indicated at 68.

j lParalleling the standard 58 is a feed screw I8 having a rounded lower end -12 seated in a bearing. block 14 carried bythe slide. The feed screw engages a threaded feed nut portion 16 formed integrally-on the adjustable bracketl 50. Atits upperend the feed screw is provided with a collar 'I8 'and with a cylindrical bearing `portion 88, the 'latter'passing freely through a bearing lug 82 secured to a captting 84 welded `or 'otherwise 1 secured to the upper extremity of the standard 58. LA' hand-Wheel 86 secured to the upper end of the feed screw 'lll provides meansfor manually adjusting the elevation of the bracket guide rod 44 and the bar 40 secured thereto.

An ladjusting screw 88 engages a suitable threaded aperture 90 formed in the slide 66, said screw being rotatably mounted 'in an upstandin'g lug 92 formed on the base 64 and carrying a knurled adjusting knob94 which when manipulated will serve to shift the slide toward or from the work W which may be regarded as' flxedly mounted in a chuck 96 which is arranged to be periodically turned on the axis m--y of the work such as the bevl'gear illustrated in Figure 7,

so as to successivelybring each tooth into position for flame hardening. The chuck is capable of `rotary adjustment about axis :v -y, and is adapted to be angularly adjusted about a pivotI pin 98 secured to a suitable chuck base |00 carrying means such as a 'pivotally mounted bolt |02 for adjustably holding the chuck in various angular positions to suit the taperof the-particular bevel gear to be heattreated.

" In operation, assuming' that it is desired to kseparately flame hardeneach individual tapered tooth of a bevel gear, the gear is rotatably mounted in a chuck such as shown in Figure 7, with Ythe axis of rotation x-y ofthe gear disposedat such angle that the base of the uppermost tooth lies in a horizontal plane. This is desirable since the torch-supporting carriage moves in a horizontal plane along the horizontally disposed guides I I.

-The provision of an adjustably mounted workholding chuck makes it possible to readily adapt the'apparatus for the flame-hardening of difierent tapers of bevel gears without disturbing the straight-line horizontal travel of the carriage. For'the precision flame hardening'of the tapered teeth of a bevel gear, a problemis involved due to the taper of the tooth, and this problem becomes more complex by reason of the fact that a great number of differently tapered bevel gears are required to suit various demands of the trade.

von the bevel gears-will vary with different size gears, the described mechanism is provided with the means shown and described for adjusting the elevation of the guide-supporting rod 44, and for a similarreason the standard which supports theguide-carrying rod can also be shifted in a. lengthwise direction toward and from the work. Thus practically universal adjustment of the guides can be easily and quickly made, making possible the setting of -the'torch guide with great precision to suit the angularity of a wide variety of teeth of bevel gears of different pitch diameters and tapers. This is in marked contrast with the prior art practice'which, in so far as I am aware, required the operator to manually guide the flame hardening torch during its travel lengthwise of eachl individual tooth.

Y In the machine illustrated, the torch-supporting carriage moves in a horizontal plane, andthe rotatable work-holding support has been referred to as inclined to the horizontal. It will be understood, however, that the entire apparatus may be turned so'that the carriage can mo've vertically without in anyway affecting the mode of operation of the invention.`

While I have described quite specifically the construction and arrangement ofparts .in the embodiment of the invention illustrated, it is tov be understood that various modifications and substitutions of equivalents may be made by those skilled in the art without departure from' the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Torch guiding means of the character described, comprising a standard having a bracket vertically adjustable thereon, a member adjustable horizontally with respect to said bracket, a`

supporting bar secured to said member, guide,

rods carrying fittings at their ends, means adjustably securing said fittings to said supporting bar, followers notched for guiding engagement with said guide rods, and means yieldingly urging said followers into guiding engagement -with said guide rods.

2. Torch guiding means ofthe character described, comprising a vertical standard, a bracket slidable therealong having securing means for clamping it at various elevations, a member slidable horizontally in said bracket, means for clamping said member in desired positions of adjustment, a supporting bar secured to said member, guide rods carrying fittings at their extremities, means adjustably securing the fittings to the supporting bar constructed and arranged to provide for variation in the angularity of the guide rods with respect to the supporting bar,` followers notched for guiding erigagement'with said guide rods, and resilient means for-urging FREDERICK W. RIEDELV: 

